Authorities investigating Dos Rios fire near Evans as human caused

JOSHUA POLSON/jpolson@greeleytribune.com
Flames from a grassfire near 65th Ave. and 47th Street in Evans rise into the air as several fire departments have responded to the blaze. Some residents in the area have been evacuated.

JOSHUA POLSON/jpolson@greeleytribune.com
A small plane drops a load of slurry while working to put out a grassfire near 54th Street Road and Compo Road in Evans on Wednesday afternoon. The fire burned about 10 acres.

JOSHUA POLSON/jpolson@greeleytribune.com
Residents talk with police as the watch the grassfire along 65th Ave. on Wednesday afternoon in Evans. Some residents have been evacuated. At this point the fire is around 10 acres in size.

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Authorities believe the fire that burned more than 140 acres of grassland near the Dos Rios subdivision in unincorporated Weld County near Evans was human caused, though they do not yet know whether it was accidental or on purpose.

The fire began just before 11 a.m. Wednesday near the intersection of 65th Avenue and 49th Street. It jumped across 49th Street, spreading to the south. It threatened about seven-10 homes on the west edge of the Dos Rios subdivision, which is in the Milliken Fire Protection District. No structures were destroyed or damaged, and no one was injured. Authorities did, however, evacuate several dozen homes while they battled the blaze for about four hours before containing it, Weld County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Steve Reams said.

Dave Hess lives near the intersection of Compo Road and 54th Street Road, where the flames reached his property.

“I don’t think it’s set in yet that It got this close,” Hess said, after returning to his home. The fire crossed his fence and went into his backyard. Even hours after the flames were extinguished, the ground was still hot. Residents who stood in one place in the burn area too long could feel the soles of their shoes heat up.

Hess works in Boulder but came back to get his dog from his home once the fire started.

“I got my dog. That’s the main thing,” he said. “If the house did go, I could start over.”

He also gave credit to the firefighters who battled the blaze.

“I got nothing but good things to say about the guys in the fire trucks,” he said.

About 60 firefighters and 25 fire trucks from 12 different fire departments battled the blaze throughout the afternoon, getting it fully contained about 3:15 p.m. A single-engine plane form the Loveland Fire Department made air drops of slurry to help bring the fire under control.

As the fire burned, it sent large columns of brownish-black smoke into the sky, which were visible throughout Greeley and the surrounding area. The winds caused the fire to meander in an irregular pattern around the grass field. As it approached the Dos Rios subdivision, some residents at the scene talked about the things they would need to grab from their homes if they were evacuated.

The sheriff’s office assisted the Milliken Fire Protection District, which was in overall command of the fire scene, by notifying the evacuees. About 40 homes were evacuated. The residents were allowed to return to their homes about 3:15 p.m.

“We advised everyone to maintain their vigilance,” Reams said. “We have crews out there, and we will have them there throughout the evening to ensure we don’t have any flare ups.”